A's stadium: New poll finds big support for Peralta site

OAKLAND — An Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll released Wednesday found voters support a new A’s ballpark at the Peralta Community College District site by a 2-1 margin.

Of the 503 likely voters surveyed, 62 percent supported the stadium project, 31 percent were opposed and 7 percent undecided, according to chamber CEO Barbara Leslie. Eighty-two percent reported knowing of the A’s plan to build a 35,000-seat stadium before participating in the poll.

"Many people have made up their minds about how they feel about it," Leslie said.

Team President Dave Kaval announced the site selection in September, preferring the location at Fifth Avenue and E. 8th Street near Laney College over Howard Terminal adjacent to Jack London Square or the Coliseum.

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While members of the Oakland Chamber, Visit Oakland and the Alameda County Buildings Trades have stood alongside A’s stadium supporters, the reception at City Hall and among vocal Chinatown and Eastlake residents has been chilly. In a telling moment on the day of the A’s big announcement, Mayor Libby Schaaf and Councilman Abel Guillen held a City Hall press conference separate from Kaval’s Coliseum appearance.

Schaaf and Guillen each expressed concerns over displacement of residents and small business owners from Chinatown and Eastlake. Schaaf has said she supports the A’s privately financing a stadium but prefered the Howard Terminal location. Guillen said the residents in his district, which includes Peralta, want the A’s to stay at the Coliseum.

The survey first asked participants if they had heard of the project, and then gauged support and opposition by detailing the park’s location. Pollsters described the ballpark as "a new, 100 percent privately-financed site, near Interstate 880, four blocks from Lake Merritt BART and walking distance from downtown," according to Leslie.

One of the poll calls went to Alvina Wong of leading opposition group "StAy the Right Way.” Wong said the findings run counter to what she is hearing from residents, who want more information about why Howard Terminal and the Coliseum are not viable options.

"Most of our neighbors in Eastlake and Chinatown don’t want it here," said Wong, who also works for the Asian Pacific Environmental Network.

Over the next year, the A’s plan on receiving feedback from neighbors of the Laney site, as the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees will begin discussing on the proposal. In a statement, Kaval said the poll "justifies our decision about making sure we have a robust community process. We believe this project can be transformative for Oakland and are excited at this stage to have the support of so many Oakland voters."

The A’s stadium questions were part of the chamber’s annual Pulse of Oakland survey conducted between Oct. 24-29 by the FM3 Research firm. The poll of likely November 2018 election voters had a margin of error of 4.4 percent.